MENA RULE OF LAW CONFERENCE 2010: The Road to Justice in MENA: National, International, And Traditional Justice Systems Working Together - "Equal Access to Water Rights" Session

Objectives:

• Incubate and support multidisciplinary action plans: The main objective of the MENA Conference is to encourage multidisciplinary collaboration and generate new cross-disciplinary plans to advance the Rule of Law in the region. The MENA Conference will have the advantage of using the WJP's Rule of Law Index data to inform and frame conference discussions. The Rule of Law Index was applied in 35 countries in the past year, including Jordan and Morocco, and will be expanded to 70 countries in 2010, including several more countries from the MENA region.

• Develop regional multidisciplinary partnerships: The MENA Conference will serve as a starting point for establishing a comprehensive MENA Rule of Law network, facilitating further cross-disciplinary interaction. Participants include a range of leaders in various professions from countries throughout the region. Additionally, the Conference will target participants from countries and sub-regions previously under-represented in WJP programs.

• Seek feedback and incorporate lessons learned into programming: The WJP continuously seeks to improve its programming through extensive evaluation of its projects. The MENA Conference provides another venue for WJP to present and solicit feedback on its multidisciplinary Rule of Law work, including current MENA-based Opportunity Fund programs in Lebanon and Tunisia, as well as the Rule of Law Index.

Outcomes & Impact:

It is our hope that the dialogue that takes place at the MENA Conference will resonate far beyond this meeting and serve as a catalyst for new debates and actions among regional leaders, policy makers, academics and civil society. The WJP will ensure that the MENA Conference results in tangible outcomes by monitoring the implementation of action plans developed at the Conference, providing technical assistance as needed, and continuing to foster the relationships established in Ifrane. The WJP also plans to launch a mini-round of the Opportunity Fund small grant program, providing seed funding to selected action plans developed at the MENA meeting.